Summary = Maria, owner of Tinlids Inc. and her brother Jim,
an 8th grade teacher, shared some great titles of books with
challenging issues and topics.

3 Key Points·There are many great books out there (some that
Maria mentioned included The Reluctant
Journal of Henry K Larsen by Susan Nielsen, What Happened to Ivy and Becoming Ruby by Kathy Stinson, Speak and Winter Girls by Laurie Halsey Anderson, The Fault in our Stars by John Green, Falling For You by Lisa Schroeder, Beauty Queens and The
Dividers by Libba Bray, Stolen by
Lucy Christopher, My Book of Life by
Angel by Martinez Levittown, Burning Blue by Paul Griffin, Nix Minus One by Jill Maclean, 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden, Every Day by David Leviathan, etc.) - any errors in title or authors are mine,
since I took notes on my iPad and it self-corrected typing

·Students crave to read about these powerful stories; Jim described how students
in his class did all those “school-y” things like making connections unprompted
because the subject matter was so gripping (they found songs and music videos
that reflected the themes they read)

·Protagonists in these type of books are not
privileged, so it is important to show kids with “first world problems” what
life is really like for some people (the audience survey mid-presentation
demonstrated that kids have always sought to read “mature” books even when the
content disturbs them a bit)

So
What? Now What? = I’m going to see how many of these titles I own (Maria said
these books were acceptable for Grades 7 +) and after consulting some of my
voracious pre-teen readers, I’ll purchase some.

Summary = Vikki is an author and works with Harper Collins;
she shared pointers and resources that publishers have to help with book
promotions in school and public libraries.

3 Key Points

Harper
Collins has a new website > http://harperclassroom.tumblr.com
that acts as an educator hub, containing newsletters, contests, costume
rentals, book club discussion guides (can search by author, title, or
resource type)

If
you are conducting an event, prepare the readers, prepare the author,
consider book sales and do follow-up (authors can be found and funded via
the Writer’s Union of Canada grant, Canadian Children’s Book Week,
Author’s Booking Service, author websites, and through the publisher)

So What? Now What? = There wasn’t a lot of new information
shared in this presentation for me, but I enjoyed seeing the Gruffalo come for
photo opportunities at the end. I think I need to peek at a few more publishers
to see if they have similar resources so that I’m not reinventing the wheel
during book talks.

Summary = The Association of Canadian Publishers invited me
to attend a lovely 3-course meal and dine with some Canadian authors and fellow
supporters of Kid-Can-Lit. I had a delicious meal (mozzarella and lobster
ravioli) and had great conversation with Maria Martella, Sandra Ziemniak,
Gianna Dassios, and others at my table. I received a great gift bag filled with
books and the authors stayed to autograph them – thank you Sylvia McNicoll,
Cybele Young, Wallace Edwards, Rona Arato, Deborah Kerbel, and Kyo Maclear! I’m
glad that my table-hopping and mega-mingling was seen as laudable conduct by
the organizers and I promise to share the photos I took while wandering from
group to group.

Summary = Frey is the executive director and senior futurist
at the DaVinci Institute. While I was enroute to the talk, I was told by others
approaching from the opposite direction that there was no room, even to stand
and listen, so I chose to visit the Expo Hall instead. While there, I spoke
with Elizabeth Lee about my research project and with Katina Papulkas and Cindy
Matthews about AQ course terminology.

Summary = Jo-Anne shared her unit on banned, censored, and
challenged books. She maintains that we need to nourish a respect for
intellectual freedom in our students and this unit intrigues and empowers them.

3 Key Points

·Secret censorship is a regular occurrence in
libraries: Maurice Sendak’s book had underwear drawn on the naked boy in one
library’s copy, and a Todd Parr picture book had a page exacto-knifed out by
persons unknown. School librarians themselves make selective choices for
acquiring materials that can be seen as censorship – it is important for them
to follow their board/district’s selection policies and not merely follow their
own whims or insecurities.

·Talking about censorship is an authentic way to
teach aspects of the curriculum that are required at this age (e.g. in
Manitoba, they study the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom in Grade 9) and
engages them in a way that none of Jo-Anne’s other units quite capture.

So
What? Now What? = Even though I have heard this talk before (when I attended
the Manitoba Library Association Conference in Winnipeg), it was worth hearing
again – plus, I had to attend because I was the session convenor. I plan on
teaching this unit to my Grade 7s and 8s and although I won’t use every book on
Jo-Anne’s list (Mommy Laid An Egg by
Babette Cole may just be too much for my students), I look forward to trying
the unit and discussing the results with Jo-Anne in the future.

Summary = The division held its AGM and awards ceremony,
with the affair sponsored by Saunders Book Company.

3 key points

·The winner of the Teacher-Librarian of the Year
Award was June Rysinski and the winner
of the Administrator of the Year Award was Troy Mackenzie

·The winner of the OLA Technical Services Award
was Deanna Harron

·The winner of the Award for Special Achievement was
Anita Brooks-Kirkland

So What? Now What? = I was surprised and honoured when June,
a good friend of mine, mentioned me in her acceptance speech (second only to
the amazing Carol Koechlin – Carol was June’s Library AQ instructor, just like
she was mine!). I had fantastic conversations with Jeanne Buckley and Joel Krentz
as we drove home together, about such varied things as house shopping and
roller derby.

Summary = (paraphrased from session description) Dr. Stephens
spoke about how mobile and web technologies are changing the way we live and
learn and how libraries can play a key role in this future.

3 key points

·Libraries should be about Cs: community,
creativity, collaboration, creativity, curiosity, connectivity (a key term that
emerged from the ALA mid-winter conference was “maker space” = providing a
creator space place in the library, not just creating digital information but
making new things, like with 3D printers)

·Play is key: “where imaginations play, learning
happens”, and things change so quickly that you can sit down and through play,
learn it – he suggests fostering self-directed digital learning by having
tables set up with e-readers and digital cameras where peers can sit and show
how these technologies work and the result of this passport “tech fair” could
be a draw for a Kindle

·Stephens asks us to be many things: be willing
to learn / be willing to explore / look inside and outside our world / be
willing to listen and engage / be willing to leave our physical walls > he
says we can move forward by breaking down barriers / being kind / being the
change / encouraging creativity / be always learning / play / have fun / be
human / watch the horizon / take risks / bring your heart with you / focus on
the heart, because there are people behind the tech

So
What? Now What? = One of the other things Dr. Stephens said was that navigating
digital spaces can be overwhelming and digital inclusion should be the top of
the library mission statement and that the hyperlinked librarian is
continuously learning. I need to do my part to foster digital inclusion (e.g.
providing time for students who don’t have printers or Internet access or
computers at home to use the school resources) and provide “maker spaces”. His
philosophy of play matches mine – I need to make more time for students to play
in school.

Summary = Susan Cain is the author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking
and her presentation centers on the importance of introverts.

3 key points

·Cain highlighted three mistakes our society is
making: 1) we aren’t making the most of the introvert’s heart and mind
(introverts aren’t anti-collaboration, they just prefer a jigsaw method as
opposed to spontaneous group work), 2) in the new group-think, we have lost the
need for solitude (Einstein, a famous introvert, said “I’m not smart, I just stay
with problems longer” and deep ways of thinking happen in solitude [aka JK
Rowling or Warren Buffet] but there’s a push for collective process and this is
bad because there’s a habit of conforming and caving to peer pressure when
working together), and 3) we erroneously believe that the most assertive
talkers have the best ideas (an e.g. was from Harvard, where a person’s
expertise was dismissed even though he had direct experience with the topic,
because he was an introvert)

·There is evolutionary need for both introverts
and extroverts (depending on the situation, for instance as studied with
pumpkin seed fish, survival works for either tendency) > you can also have
ambiverts (individuals with both introvert and extrovert qualities).

·Cain has 3 suggestions: A) stop the madness for
constant group work (e.g. try a hybrid process like thinking before getting
together, or having individuals write their thoughts and then go around the
circle to share), B) consider various styles of leadership, not just extroverts
(if an introvert possesses will/drive, they can be fabulous visionary leaders,
like Rosa Parks and Gandhi – the head of Campbell Soup wrote personal
hand-written letters to thank people in his company), and C) rethink diversity
(we know that race and gender discrimination are moral issues; she believes
that personality is too and that we shouldn’t make introverts 2nd
class citizens)

So What? Now What? = As an extrovert (and possibly an
ambivert), I am going to make a special effort to be considerate of my
introvert colleagues. I feel pleased that The
Teaching Librarian actually reviewed her book in a recent issue. I’ll prepare my introvert friends/spouse for
stressful situations and give them space to escape, and build in introvert-like
times so that my extrovert students can learn how to think deeply on their own,
even though extroverts have more reward networks in their brain and the excess
stimulation benefits them on a physiological level. I think this was my
favourite plenary (although many people I surveyed said their favourite was
Michael Uslan’s opening plenary, but that one was on Wednesday so I missed it).

Friday, February 1, 2013 – 12:00 noonTDSB TL Luncheon

Summary = The tradition continues. Lisa Dempster, former
Metro Toronto OSLA Councillor, booked a table at Joe Badali’s for TDSB TLs to
eat together and enjoy each other’s company. Before eating, Denise Colby and I
wandered around the Expo Hall to promote our Superconference session on
Minecraft – I wore my Minecraft creeper costume with a sign on the back and
Denise was my “handler”, ensuring I didn’t fall or bump into people. We made it
to the restaurant in time to feast on their delicious buffet (and yummy exotic
juices) although many of the TLs were there earlier. Denise and I still had a fruitful
talk together.

Summary = Several top-level school library figures from
different boards described their group’s work with Together For Learning and the learning commons.

3 key points

·Phillip said that it is difficult to isolate one
component of schooling to show what is successful, but it is vital to try and
show how school libraries are impacting student learning – the Hamilton
Catholic DSB has a working document called “Shifting Our Focus” which is
helping them align with the board improvement plan (under the component of the
literacy pillar)

·Ruth shared the “Expected Practice” series in
the Toronto DSB; like the monographs published by the Literacy and Numeracy
Secretariat at the Ministry of Education, they are brief booklets to make it
clear what departments do – the Library Dept. was the second group (after
Literacy/Numeracy) in the board asked to produce one, and their focus was on
the collaborative environments for teaching and learning, with core pieces
being T4L, the TDSB ICT Standards, and OSLA Information Studies; it reminded
the varied audience that inquiry is in all subject areas and they meshed the
achievement chart with the inquiry model

·Jeanne spoke about the collaborative teacher
inquiry going on in the Peel DSB, where TLs work with class teachers on
triangulating evidence of learning, tied with the Growing Success document

So
What? Now What? = I could not stay for the entire session, as I had to go set
up for my own presentation following. It sounds like several boards are trying
hard to make T4L a reality. I will need to hunt down the TDSB Expected Practice
mini-document and share it with as many people as possible, because my
collaborative time in my schedule is not as robust as it used to be (I had open
flexible time in addition to fixed structured time in the past, whereas this
year I only have fixed structured partner time).

Summary = 3 TDSB educators talked about their Ryerson
University / EDGE Lab supported Multi-Player Minecraft server and why public
and school libraries should be embracing sandbox games like Minecraft.

3 key points

·Gaming culture has different norms and practices
around griefing, trolling, and camping (quite different from the school realm’s
bullying focus) – it’s important to monitor use when playing in a public or
school space but to also understand the “rules of play”.

·Players can get very passionate about their
Minecraft worlds and it’s important to be part of that play and conversation
(finding places to play isn’t hard when the GamingEdus server is available for
educators and their families to join – send Liam a white list request)

·Minecraft is a chance for youth/students to take
the lead, e.g. let your teen advisory committees decide on various Minecraft
Club challenges (e.g. PvP in a battle arena, building the tallest tower, etc.)

So What? Now What? = This was our session so it’s hard to
comment on it objectively. The audience was a lot smaller than we expected (a
dozen people) but it was a lot more audience-receptive – we stopped using the
Powerpoint after 5 slides and helped people play on the many laptops we brought
for that purpose, and talked. We had several public librarians, a couple of
Minecraft parents with great questions (e.g. “my kid wants to make his own
server – should I let him?”) and some school people. It’s a shame that it was
only just this week that our board allowed 2012-2013 open port access during
the day (last year, it took the same amount of time – 4 months – to get
permission to open the ports) but Denise was able to share a brand-new video of
her kids building bridges in Minecraft as part of science.

Friday, February 1, 2013 – 5:15 p.m.Reflection

Summary = We had a bit of time after the session and before
the big party, so Denise, Liam, and I headed back to the Speakers Lounge to
relax and reflect. I had a great time talking with Peggy Thomas and Ruth Gretsinger
about the Forest of Reading, the law, and other catch-up topics.

Summary = It was a circus-themed party at the OLA this year.
Visitors chose which circus performer best suited their personality and then
wandered in among jugglers, magicians, and acrobats while snacking on popcorn,
cotton candy, and candy apples. There were so many people to talk to and see!
The biggest surprise of the night was when one of the magicians turned out to
be Steve, my parents’ former neighbour! I babysat his eldest son as a toddler
when his middle child was born – that oldest child is now 19! The official
party ended at 9:00 p.m. but a group of public and school librarians (Tiffany,
Teresa, Jeffrey, Denise, Joel and I) continued to celebrate with a super-late
dinner at East Side Mario’s. We conversed on topics as wide as vegetarianism
and union actions and I didn’t get home until midnight.

Summary = www.togetherforlearning.ca
is new and improved! This double-session launched the revised website, showed
attendees how to submit new content, and gave teacher-librarians across the
province a chance to share their progress via poster sessions in a large, wi-fi
accessible room. I attended in the capacity of photographer, although I was
still able to communicate with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic DSB
teacher-librarians (Peter, Lori, and Carmen) and introduce them to Carol
Koechlin. I also had fun with a teacher-librarian just getting off maternity
leave (whose name I forget) uploading QR code reading software to our iPads and
trying it out. I had a very enlightening conversation with Peggy Lunn, which I
think will lead to some great contributions to The Teaching Librarian magazine.

Summary = He came, he saw, he sung. Steven Page, former
member of the Scarborough band Barenaked Ladies spoke at the final lunch, after
the presentation of the OLA President’s Award for Exceptional Achievement to
the team behind the OSLA Together For Learning Project.

3 key points

It takes a dedicated team
to pull together big projects (like OLA Superconference and the Together For Learning document) – I
was honoured to be on the stage with Peggy Thomas, Anita Brooks-Kirkland,
Carol Koechlin, Esther Rosenfeld, Larry Moore, and Bobbie Henley to
receive the award - these people are giants!

Sometimes in Canada we
want recognition but not too much recognition – it’s okay for Shania to be
an international star, but BNL received flak for playing across the border
(Page theorizes that it’s the “Ben Johnson” complex, that Canadians don’t
want to be humiliated by their representatives).

Libraries are important to
Page (he reminisced about keeping LPs and books from the Scarborough
Public Library) and he is sad that his new home, Syracuse NY, doesn’t have
a library in walking distance (he says he never imagined leaving Canada
but that “you can’t help who you fall in love with”)

So what? Now what? = I need to re-listen to all my Barenaked
Ladies tapes. I brought one with me in the hopes that I could get Steven to
sign it, but no such luck. I sang along (quietly) when he performed “Brian
Wilson” – he’s still got a great deal of talent.

3 comments:

Wow, this conference sounds like a blast and very educational, Di! I've read several of those books listed for YA so I'd be more than happy to share my thoughts. Also, please keep me up to date on your censorship unit. I plan to do a post for "Forbidden Reads" for my blog at least once a month (or more if I have time) and I would love for your students to participate!

One day, Rum, we'll get you to attend this conference. You'd be intrigued to know that my seatmate at the closing luncheon was none other than Mary W. Ghikas, the Senior Associate Executive Director of the American Library Association! Maybe we can tie your blog into the final task for the unit, somehow! Let's talk about this!